• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.63-72
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• 2015

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of occupational stress and psychosocial stress to health promotion behaviors depending on characteristics of female office workers and emotional labor workers for sales. Methods: A survey of 207 female service workers engaging in sales of cosmetics in major department stores and 149 females working in the offices of cosmetics companies was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: It showed a significant difference in job demand and insufficient job control which are sub-domains of stress. The percentage of emotional laborers exposed to a high risk of psychosocial stress was higher than office workers. In office workers, occupational stress stemmed from insufficient job control and low reward of work was significantly related to psychosocial stress. But in emotional labor workers, stress from job insecurity, and organizational system were added. The relevant factors that affect health promotion behaviors were type of occupational stress, psychosocial stress, marital status, educational level and working career. Conclusions: Occupational stress and psychosocial stress were closely associated with health promotion behaviors. It was suggested that the development of health promotion programs which reduce the stress in female office and emotional labor workers.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.375-382
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors related to problem drinking in male workers according to occupational classes. Data were derived from the 2012 Korean National Survey on male workers. A total of 391 office workers, 707 manufacturing workers, and 309 service workers participated in this study. Data were analyzed using Rao-Scott $X^2$-test, simple and multiple logistic regressions. Problem drinking was defined as ${\geq}8$ points in the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. The problem drinking rates were 45.1% in office workers, 39.1% in manufacturing, and 42.3% in service. In office workers, the factor related to problem drinking was only smoking. In manufacturing workers, the factors related to problem drinking were spouse, smoking and prevalence of Diabetes. In service workers, the factors related to problem drinking were age and smoking. Therefore, different intervention should be developed for each occupational class in order to manage the problem drinking in male workers.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.71-82
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was performed in order to investigate hand hygiene practices among food-service businesses employees based on the awareness of hand-washing and load of indicator bacteria on their hands. It focused on the comparison of full-time and part-time workers in food-service workplaces. Methods: A direct-interview questionnaire survey and microbiological analysis were carried out with sixty workers each. Samples for microbiological analysis were collected through a modified glove-juice method from the hands of the food-service workers and were analyzed for aerobic plate count, total coliform, fecal coliform, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp. Microbiological analysis was done according to the Food Code of Korea. Results: Significant differences (p<0.01) were found in the survey between the full-time and part-time workers in hand-washing frequency, use of hand-washing agents, and hand-drying methods. More full-time workers responded to washing their hands after preparing food, after visiting outside, after handling raw materials, and before putting on gloves/when changing gloves than did part-time workers (p<0.05). No remarkable difference was found in bacterial load on the hands except in the aerobic plate count between the two groups. The detection of E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella spp. on the hands of some food-service workers in both groups revealed poor hand hygiene practices. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that there is a need for training programs in order to improve hand hygiene practices and strict hand hygiene compliance by food-service workers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.65-75
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of safety culture on the safety awareness and safety behaviors of manufacturing workers, and to suggest ways for manufacturing workers to understand the safety culture and improve safety awareness and safety behavior. In order to verify this, data were collected from 282 research subjects for 1 month from August 1 to 31, 2018, using the manufacturing workers in the Seoul and Gyeonggi area as a population. The results of the study are as follows. First, the safety culture (safety climate, safety procedures) has a positive effect on the safety awareness (recognition of importance, interest and participation inducement) of the manufacturing workers. Second, the safety culture (safety climate, safety procedures) has a positive effect on the safety behavior (safety planning, safety check) of manufacturing workers. Third, safety awareness (recognition of importance, interest and inducement of participation) has a positive influence on the safety behavior (safety planning, safety check) of manufacturing workers. Fourth, the safety awareness (recognition of importance, interest and inducement of participation) appears to have a partial mediating effect in relation to safety culture (safety climate, safety procedure) and safety behavior (safety planning, safety check) of manufacturing workers. The implication of this study is that although the industrial accidents have occurred in the manufacturing industry in recent years, the studies on the workers in the manufacturing industry are insufficient. However, this study is meaningful that it has suggested ways for manufacturing workers to understand the safety culture and improve the safety awareness and safety behavior by analyzing the effects of safety culture on safety awareness and safety behavior of manufacturing workers.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.265-273
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• 2010

Objectives: Due to the economic crisis and globalization, many workers have been suffering from severe occupational stress due to job insecurity and struggles related to downsizing and restructuring. This study aims to assess the stress levels among workers involved in fierce labor disputes and massive layoffs and to evaluate their specific needs and satisfaction with counseling services set up to help workers cope with severely stressful situations? Methods: The authors provided crisis intervention to workers in traumatic situations to compare the differential level of stress responses and needs among the workers remaining employed in a large auto factory, those laid off by it, and those laid off by other companies in the same region (Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province). We measured stress levels using the worker's stress response inventory (WSRI) and heart rate variability (HRV), and assessed workers' satisfaction with the counseling services. Results: 502 workers participated in the program. Fifty-seven percent of them consulted with occupational problems. The mean WSRI score of the workers remaining employed in the automobile factory was higher than that of the unemployed (employed: $39.8{\pm}19.9$ unemployed: $29.3{\pm}18.8$). Ninety-five percent of workers responded that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the counseling services. Conclusions: This study suggests the urgent need for the establishment of a national crisis intervention program dedicated to supporting workers in severely stressful situations.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.119-127
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• 2021

Objectives: We aimed to find the relationships between employment status and hs-CRP level among Korean wage workers using the 2016 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination (KNHANE, revised). Methods: This study was conducted on 1,937 daytime wage workers over the age of 19 and within a normal weight range (18.5≤BMI≺25). Regular workers were defined as those granted an employment guarantee until reaching retirement age, and non-regular workers were defined as temporary, non-typical, dispatched, short-term workers and contractors. For hs-CRP, three divisions were classified as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Heart Association (AHA) with less than 1.0 mg/L indicating low risk of cardiovascular disease, above 1.0 mg/L and below 3.0 mg/L considered moderate risk, and more than 3.0 mg/L indicating high risk. To find the relationship between work type and hs-CRP level in Korean wage workers, multinominal logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: For non-regular workers, the odds ratio of the cardiovascular moderate-risk group and cardiovascular high-risk group was statistically significant compared to regular workers. After adjusting for factors such as gender, age, subjective health status, income, education, smoking, and physical labor, the odds ratio of the cardiovascular high-risk group was statistically significant. Conclusions: In this study, the relationship between non-regular workers and high hs-CRP level was examined. Based on this, institutional strategies should be pursued to prevent and manage cardiovascular disease among non-regular workers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.353-363
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• 2020

Objectives: Occupational diseases that occur due to or aggravated by work have commonly been recognized in the manufacturing industry, but there are now more incidences happening in the service industry due to changes in the industrial structure. Health workers are exposed to direct factors and various other causes of occupational disease at work, such as physical, chemical, biological, and psyco-social factors. This study aims to identify work-related diseases affecting health workers that are recognized as occupational diseases. Methods: The research is based on the data of workers whose diseases were accepted as work-related by the Industrial Accidents Compensation Insurance, and filed by the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Amongst the approved claims during 2011 to 2015, we focused on healthcare workers and health-related workers of the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: The number of health workers(HWs) with approved work-related disease was 1,707 over 5 years. The number of healthcare workers(HCWs) excluding caregivers was 370 (21.7%) and of health-related workers (HRWs) it was 736 (43.1%). Out of HWs who were approved for their illnesses, females were 80% of HCWs and 88% of HRWs. The most common occupational disease in HWs was musculoskeletal diseases, while that of nurses was infectious disease. Conclusions: HWs are exposed to various risks from their profession and are affected by occupational diseases. It is necessary to focus on this issue and provide preventive measures.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.113-127
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• 2021

Purpose: This study examined health behaviors, use of health services, and depression among women who perform daytime and shift work in Korea, as well as factors related to depression. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the 2018 data of the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Data on women, 1,493 regular daytime workers and 322 shift workers, were analyzed. Results: Women shift workers (χ²=43.97, p<.001), had a lower education level (χ²=45.56, p<.001), and lower personal income (χ²=16.85, p=.030) than their daytime counterparts. A higher proportion of shift workers were unmarried (χ²=37.47, p<.001) and they typically worked fewer than 40 hours per week (χ²=69.94, p<.001). The depression score of shift workers was higher than that of daytime workers (t=2.85, p=.005). A higher proportion of shift workers also drank alcohol (χ²=6.49, p=.032) and smoked (χ²=30.79, p<.001). Over 8% of shift workers typically slept fewer than 5 hours per night (χ²=14.17, p=.024). It was confirmed that depression in women shift workers was affected by age, personal income, marital status, health status, and smoking status, in addition to cancer screening participation, unmet medical care needs, and unmet dental care needs. Conclusion: More attention should be given to the health needs of women working shifts. Health promotion programs specific for women shift workers are needed to improve their physical and mental health, encourage use of medical care services, and improve public health policies and systems.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.483-488
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• 2022

This study was conducted to compare of dietary behaviors of young and temporary workers with older and permanent workers of single-person households. A questionnaire survey was conducted by purposive quota sampling(n=566) by age groups(20~59 years old) and status of workers(temporary workers, permanent workers and business owners). Compared to other age groups, 20s had lower average monthly income and cost of eating-out, and they rarely cooked at home and mainly bought food and groceries at convenience stores(p<0.001). This pattern was similar to temporary workers compare to other groups. This study will be meaningful as a basic data for creating a healthy living environment for temporary workers and 20s of single-person households.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.102-107
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• 2022

South Korea will soon be a super-aged society, as more than 20.6% of its population will be 65 years and older by 2025. As of 2022, 17.5% of the total population in South Korea is 65 years and older, which exceeds the set threshold for an aged society, where more than 14% of the population is 65 years and older. The proportion of older subway construction workers has increased. Aging workers and their work stress negatively impact their workability. A previous study demonstrated that the stress index measured using the uBioMacpa measurement device (Macpa stress index) had a significant correlation with work stress in South Korea. The device tests vascular health and measures stress levels via Macpa signal analysis. In this study, the pulse waves of subway construction workers were measured using uBioMacpa to identify their stress levels. The stress levels were analyzed by age, years of service, job position, employment type, and work type. Herein, these statistics could not be easily represented by a normal distribution; therefore, the Kruskal-Wallis test, a nonparametric statistical method, was used for the analysis of data. The results showed that age, job position, employment type, and working type affected the Macpa stress index and the stress levels of workers increased with age. In terms of job position, technical engineers were more stressed than other workers because of their poor working environment. In terms of employment type, daily-wage workers were more stressed than other workers. In terms of working type, tunneling, waterproofing, and construction scored the highest Macpa stress indexes without any significant difference, whereas earthworks scored the lowest. Based on the analysis of Macpa stress index, safety and health management plans were proposed to reduce the stress levels of workers. Moreover, a manual for efficient stress management must be developed for subway construction workers.